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About this blog: While state and federal politics dominate the headlines, local issues have an enormous impact on our everyday lives. This blog will attempt to shine a light on topics of public interest and facilitate greater participation in the ... (More)

About this blog: While state and federal politics dominate the headlines, local issues have an enormous impact on our everyday lives. This blog will attempt to shine a light on topics of public interest and facilitate greater participation in the civic process in our community. Born and raised in California and a graduate of UC Davis (go Aggies!), I had an opportunity to live and work - inside the beltway - of Washington, D.C. while completing my graduate work at Georgetown University. Upon completion, I returned home and embarked upon a career in high tech with companies including Tandem Computers and Cisco Systems, eventually settling in Menlo Park with my husband. After the birth of our middle child, I became an at-home mom but continued to stay involved with community issues close to my heart. That involvement has included work for Site Creations, a non-profit dedicated to public art, guest lecturing at Foothill and De Anza colleges, board membership for SOLO Aquatics, and serving as Nativity School's auction chair, parent-teacher group secretary and co-president. But these days, I'm mostly just mom to three great, and very busy, kids. (Hide)

The "Bullet" Train: What Does It Say About Our State Government?

Even if you supported the "bullet train" five years ago, you should think about how our state government is ? or is not-- respecting California voters as that project continues to degrade.

Back in 2008 (when Proposition 1A was passed under the biased ballot title "Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century"), the "ask" of California voters was to approve a $9.95 billion dollar general bond obligation that would theoretically fund a high-speed rail system (200+ MPH) connecting Sacramento/ San Joaquin Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Southern California. Travel between LA and San Francisco would only take 2 ½ hours and cost about $50 per ticket. The estimated total cost of the project was $45 billion with the remainder of the funding coming from federal, private, local, and other state sources. No tax increase needed and an estimated 70 million automobile passenger trips would be eliminated from our highways. Sounded too good to be true and opponents warned voters that it was.

Fast-forward five years. Cost estimates soared to triple the advertised amount and the "high speed" element of this train was eliminated when the scope of the project was revised. This new regular train is still massively more expensive than first advertised with revised budget estimates ranging between $68 and $98 billion. No one from the private sector has shown an interest in investing which suggests that the funding model initially proposed is fundamentally flawed.

For what ever reason(s), support for the bullet train has turned. While Proposition 1A passed with 52.5% of the vote back in 2008, a statewide USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll conducted in September of this year shows that 52% of California voters now oppose it (43% say it should go forward). The same L.A. Times poll shows that "70% of respondents want the project to be placed back on the ballot ? up from the 55% measured in last year's USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll." (Vartabedian, Ralph. "52% want bullet train stopped, poll finds."Los Angeles Times. 28 Sept. 2013: Online Edition. 16 Dec. 2013.)

Undeterred, the California High Speed Rail Authority and our state government plan to move forward with this project laying tracks between Merced and the San Fernando Valley at a cost to Californians of $31 billion despite the fact only $6 billion of funding is available. They have a "field of dreams" philosophy; if they build it, investors will come. What could possibly go wrong with that?

Earlier this month, California court rulings have refused to issue $9 billion dollars in bond funds needed for the project to begin. The court is requiring the California High Speed Rail Authority to rethink, rewrite and resubmit its funding plan. (The judge did not choose to stop the project altogether.) The Congressional chair of the House rail subcommittee and the chair of the House appropriations panel for transportation have expressed legal concern over the tapping of federal funds and have asked the Governmental Accountability Office to investigate in the aftermath of those recent California court decisions.

Thank goodness we have a judicial system in place and doing what the state legislature and our Governor ought to do: To ensure that the implementation of Proposition 1A lives up to what was promised to voters and failing that, to stop it. The regular train project we are talking about today doesn't remotely resemble the high speed rail project that was promised to voters five years ago. What Governor Brown and the folks in Sacramento should do - if they respected the voters - is what 70% of those surveyed in the L.A. Times poll want: bring it back to the people by putting it back on the ballot.

As we head into a new year, ballot propositions and initiatives are shaping up for the California 2014 ballot. Governor Brown and our state legislature will be looking for our support on several of those. No matter what happens with the Greek Hydra that is the current regular train project, we've learned something. It is OK with our state government that voters can be promised one set of facts as bait, but a completely different reality can emerge and our state leaders will fight tooth and nail to protect the switch. Cast your vote accordingly.

Posted by Jeannette,
a resident of Portola Valley: other,
on Dec 18, 2013 at 11:45 am

Thanks for exposing the enormous flaws in the HSR project. It's mind boggling to go ahead w/o revisiting this issue on another ballot. This project is over budget & under funded; it has little economic or popular support. We don't need another money pit where the public acquires massive debt and a few boondogglers get rich. . Going forward defies logic. Thanks Erin for bringing it into focus so clearly.

Posted by Louise68,
a resident of Menlo Park: other,
on Dec 19, 2013 at 12:22 am

This whole HSR project is a complete fraud and boondoggle. Please, folks who support this project, ask: "Who benefits (financially) from the present state of affairs?" This was only intended to make rich people even richer. Just look at all the money wasted om consultants and others.

We do *not* need this financial black hole! This HSR project should be stopped -- *now*. All those billions of dollars should go towards hiring back all the police officers, firefighters, and teachers who have been laid off, as well as others whose jobs are just as important, and towards hiring and training many, many more health-care professionals.

Thank you for this very thoughtful article. We agree 100% and we hope others will join our facebook group so that we can stay informed and involved regarding this important issue for California taxpayers!

This is the only way to understand what the California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Governor and the Legislature are all about, regarding high-speed rail. There are $3.3 billion on the federal table earmarked for California.
"They" are determined to bring those dollars into our state, for whatever reason. This project has nothing to do with transit or transportation. It has always been about getting and spending the money!

Louise68 said "All those billions of dollars should go towards hiring back all the police officers, firefighters, and teachers who have been laid off, as well as others whose jobs are just as important, and towards hiring and training many, many more health-care professionals."

I disagree! Those billions of dollars should go back to taxpayers. And, if Louise wants to add new taxes for the things she mentions, she can pursue the initiative process. A more reasonable solution would be to persuade legislators, county Supervisors and City officials to set their priorities for the use of current revenue.

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